Warm weather forecast for Christmas

By Kaley Toy

Don’t expect snow-covered trees for our area when you wake up Christmas morning.

Friday is Christmas, but Shenandoah Valley residents would likely never guess it when they step outside.

“It’s going to be warmer than last year,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Ray Martin.

He said our area can expect a high in the mid to upper 60s on Christmas Day. This is between 5 and 10 degrees warmer than last year’s high of 58 degrees, which was recorded in Winchester.

Martin said the typical temperature for this time of year is about 41 degrees and that we are above average for where temperatures usually are.

As for snow, it doesn’t look like we will be seeing any for a while longer.

“It might not happen before the new year,” he said. Forecasts remain snow-free until after the start of January.

The region typically sees the most snowfall in January and February, but he added that December usually sees a few inches too.

“The atmosphere is a very complex creature,” Martin said.

He said there is a strong polar vortex centered over the North Pole and the cold hasn’t reached down into Canada or the United States yet. There is also a strong El Nino warm phase that is contributing to our unusually warm winter weather.

By contract, in the U.S., the West Coast is seeing the most snowfall nationally so far this year.